Trust Youself To Lead

http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=em-uploademail&v=dBMEe9y4T_U

Trust Youself To Lead

Time To Pay It Forward

I am always blessed by random acts of kindness. It restores my faith in people. We sometimes get so caught up in the drama and rush of our day-to-day lives that we forget that there may be a reason for the drama. And even more importantly, that you and I can actually do something about it.

I came across this blog entry on Huffington Post HERE.

It was written by a fellow blogger on her blog HERE. Her Facebook Page is HERE

You can also learn more about Andrea and her family HERE.

I do have permission from Andrea to feature her blog today – just in case you were wondering. Enjoy the read. And remember…

…Pay it forward

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To the Woman Behind Me in Line at the Grocery Store

 

Posted on March 19, 2014

Dear woman behind me in line at the grocery store,

You don’t know me. You have no clue what my life has been like since October 1, 2013. You have no clue that my family has gone through the wringer. You have no clue that we have faced unbelievable hardship. You have no clue we have been humiliated, humbled, destitute.

You have no clue I have cried more days than not; that I fight against bitterness taking control of my heart. You have no clue that my husband’s pride was shattered. You have no clue my kids have had the worries of an adult on their shoulders. You have no clue their innocence was snatched from them for no good reason. You know none of this.

What you do know is I tried to buy my kids some food and that the EBT machine was down so I couldn’t buy that food. I didn’t have any cash or my debit card with me. I only had my SNAP card. All you heard was me saying “No, don’t hold it for me. My kids are hungry now and I have no other way of paying for this.” You didn’t judge me. You didn’t snarl “Maybe you should have less kids.” You didn’t say “Well, get a job and learn to support yourself.” You didn’t look away in embarrassment or shame for me. You didn’t make any assumptions at all.

What you did was you paid that $17.38 grocery bill for us. You gave my kids bananas, yogurt, apple juice, cheese sticks, and a peach ice tea for me; a rare treat and splurge. You let me hug you and promise through my tears that I WILL pay this forward. I WILL pay someone’s grocery bill for them. That $17.38 may not have been a lot for you, but it was priceless to us. In the car my kids couldn’t stop gushing about you; our “angel in disguise.” They prayed for you. They prayed you would be blessed. You restored some of our lost faith. One simple and small action changed our lives. You probably have forgotten about us by now, but we haven’t forgotten about you. You will forever be a part of us even though we don’t even know your name.

You have no clue how grateful and embarrassed I am that we pay for all our food with SNAP. We eat well thanks to the government. I love that. I love that the government makes sure my kids are cared for. It is one less worry for us. I also struggle with pride and embarrassment. I defiantly tell people we are on SNAP. Daring them to judge us.

Only those closest to us know why we are on SNAP. They know my husband is a hard worker who was laid off after 17 years in a management position with his former company. They know we were moved from our home to a new state only to be left homeless since the house we had came with the job he lost. Only those closest to us know my husband works part-time while looking tirelessly for more; that he has submitted more applications than he has received interviews for. Too many jobs are only offering part-time work anymore. It is not easy for a 40-something year old to find a job that will support his family of 5 kids.

You know none of this but you didn’t let that stop you from being compassionate and generous to someone you have never met.

To the woman behind me at the grocery store, you have no idea how much we appreciate you. You have no idea the impact you had on my kids. You have no idea how incredibly thankful I am for you. Your action may have been small, but to us it was monumental. Thank you.

Thank you for not judging us. Thank you for giving my kids a snack when they were quite hungry. Thank you. Just thank you.

Forever,

Andrea, the woman in front of you at the grocery store with the cart full of kids who are no longer hungry

***UPDATE***

The outpouring of kind words and generosity has been, shall we say, overwhelming. It is in my nature to want to deflect the gifts and offers of support to other deserving people and organizations. Perhaps it can be called pride, but I honestly feel uncomfortable accepting what others seem too willingly to want to give.  I have spoken to those closest to me in my life and they have counseled me greatly.  Each and every one of them asked me to put my “pride” aside and accept the blessings that are being offered.  Each of them have sited the too frequent sleepless and prayerful nights I have had over the challenges my family faces. I have always found peace in the love of my family, the gratitude for the things and people in my life, and the knowledge that God will show me the plan as I need to know.  My confidants have shone the light on the fact that THIS could very well be the answer to those prayers. How beautifully perfect it presents itself by sharing that blessing with thousands of people all across the world! The singular act of that kind woman in the grocery store has created a ripple effect that I am certain no one could have ever predicted. As a result, my own personal prayers are being addressed as well. Giving me (and countless others!) the opportunity to continue paying it forward.

I have set up a PayPal donation site. It is not in the spirit of assumption but of pure gratitude that I do this. I, and my family, thank you from the very bottom of our hearts. We will pay it forward many times over and never forget the generosity you have shown.

Lend a Hand

PS for those inquiring about where to send items we have a PO Box set up

Andrea and her family. Photo: True Stories of a Midwest Yankee

PO Box 101

Oakland City, IN 47660–

~Andrea AKA A Midwest YankeeCHALLENGE: Over the next few days make a commitment to reach out and help someone. Don’t do if for accolades. Don’t do it because I challenged you. Do it…just because. I promise your selflessness will be worth it, not only to that person, but to yourself.

Time To Pay It Forward

Healing Damage

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Healing Damage

Change Your Beliefs, Change Your Life

It’s not easy in our day and age to create what Dr. Northrup is talking about. We get so wound up in the drama that surrounds us. We even think it’s the right thing to do. We think we are helping others if we get as upset as they. We believe that without us that loved one would fall flat on their face. This is actually referred to as codependence. And codependence is actually a form of narcissism.  We hold this belief that “they need me” or “they will be so hurt if I walk away.” But in reality it’s really all about me when I say that. Look at it again. “They need ME,” and “They will be so hurt if I walk away. It really is about ME. Can you see it now?

Because we choose to live like Jesus we then develop, not only the Saviour Complex, we also become martyrs, miserable, hard done by, resentful and even contributing to the abusive cycle we may be in with someone. This again is called codependence. Believe me, I know. I’ve been there and done that and have MANY t-shirts to show for it. I am a recovering codependent. I admit it. I hope and pray that I have learned to let go of drama and change my beliefs and behaviours. And guess what? I’m starting to see the clouds clear. It has taken three years. But then again it took a lifetime of being a codependent to cause the sadness in my life.

What about you? Do you chose drama? Being a Saviour? Being a codependent? If you see yourself in this, and even if you don’t I highly recommend a book by Melody Beattie called Codependent No More! It literally saved my life.

Change Your Beliefs, Change Your Life

Broken Yet Believing

Life can really suck sometimes, can’t it? Right!?! Sometimes by the time we get to the front of the line the till closes! Sometimes sh&* happens! It’s true! It’s just the natural order of things.

A number of years ago I remember coming across a Guru (sorry I don’t remember who). He was interviewing this poor woman. She had had a terrible time. Her life was just a catastrophe. And when it wasn’t it was just waiting to be a catastrophe!

I remember watching the two of them. She was crying her life was so terrible. She had been truly and deeply broken. He listened intently. You could see the compassion in him. You could see that she was really showing him how hard her life had been up to this point. Then she was finished.

“So what!”

You would have thought a wind storm had hit with the sound of the collective gasps!

Boy did we read him wrong! He’s an ass! People were in shock. But no one could speak. She looked at her compassionate listener and all the blood had drained from her face. The tears had stopped alright. But not because she was feeling better. If anything she was now in shock; yet another blow, another heart crushing moment.

He then said something like, “You’ve had a terrible time of it (Janet). Life has really been challenging for you. In fact I can honestly say you’ve really been through some real sh*!. So what!”

And there it was again!

“You’ve had a terrible past. It has been painful. But it’s in the past. You’ve now told your story with all it’s emotion and pain. Good! That’s it! It’s all yesterday’s news now! So what…now? Is your life terrible right here, right now? Haven’t you been enjoying this weekend? You’ve made new friends who’ve listened to your pain. So what do you plan to be now….tomorrow…next week…next year? Are you going to let all that crap dictate to you? Are you going to be a victim? You are a bright woman. You are beautiful, smart, educated. The past is behind you. It’s not beside you and you certainly don’t need it in front of you. Look in front of you. Do it now? What do you see?”

Blank face.

“Exactly….nothing. There is absolutely NO  THING in front of you. The future is clear. So all that stuff you just told me is just ‘so what’. It means nothing unless you allow it to; allow it to control you and your destiny. So what? What do you want to be? What do you want to see? What are you capable of? So what?”

I got it! In that moment many of us got it! Sometimes life is challenging. Sometimes life is painful. Sometimes it’s downright sh*!!y! SO WHAT!? What now? What can I do with now, tomorrow, next week? And why on earth would I want to drag all of that stuff with me?

Yes the mind is a wonderful thing. It truly is (except when I can’t find my reading glasses or keys). It is the most magnificent computer ever created. But yet, sometimes the mind is downright stupid! We go through pain and then instead of letting it go (and I know we sometimes need time to deal with pain, it’s called grieving…not wallowing though) the mind keeps it right there in front of us. Aghhhh!

A few days ago I was out with Gracie the wonder wiener dog. She is not always the most social of butterflies. In fact she can be downright aggressive. I hope that one day I’ll figure it out of her. Maybe not. So what, right! Well, anyhow, I was out with her and she had one of her spaz attacks and went ballistic at a person across the street. I hollered and she settled back to ‘normal’ (whatever that is). Then she did something. She shook herself. She shook off the aggression. The hair on her back went flat again and she went on sniffing for whatever dogs sniff for. It was over; done…finished!

MY TRUTH: Spirit make me an instrument of your LOVE. When I have been hurt. When I have been really hurt. When I have been devastated…help me to get to that point of saying “So what!” and move on, shake it off…love again. It doesn’t have to be a lover. It may be a workmate or a friend or a family member. Take my broken heart and make me something better.

Broken Yet Believing

An Amazing April Fool's Prank...Best Ever!

This Waitress Becomes The Victim

Of A Life Changing Prank

 

Meet Chelsea Roff. An average waitress who raised her sister alone from a very young age, suffered from an eating disorder (weighing only 58 pounds at one point of time) and runs a non profit yoga clinic to help people suffering from the former. Her friends and colleagues step in to trap her in this amazing April fools prank.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2zUf06iy1A

For the full website SHAREDOTS go here

An Amazing April Fool's Prank...Best Ever!

Little Things Are Big Things

Remember when Grandma made you chocolate cake when you had a cold? Remember when you had a friend who just sat with you when you were not in a talking mood? Remember when you did these things? Well do them again. Do them often.

It’s the small acts of kindness that make the biggest impact. It’s the smallest gesture of goodness that makes the biggest impression. What happened to the day when you held open the door for a lady? What about doing it for a guy? What happened to giving up the seat on the bus for the little old lady? What about doing it for the healthy girl or guy?

TODAY’S ASSIGNMENT: In some small way…make a HUGE impact!

 

Little Things Are Big Things